The present invention relates to fire hydrants and more particularly to a fire hydrant with a unique valve seat flange and a method for manufacturing the same.
Fire hydrants are commonplace in our society providing a ready source of water to, among other things, help confront fire hazards. Fire hydrants typically remain idle for long periods of time. As a result, the internal workings of the hydrant must be able to withstand long periods of time in the presence of water without corroding or otherwise becoming nonfunctional.
With conventional fire hydrants, the flow of water through the hydrant is controlled by a valve. The valve is typically located below ground level within the hydrant shoe. A conventional valve includes a valve seat that is threaded in place within or adjacent to the hydrant shoe. The threaded seat permits the valve to be removed when maintenance is required. For example, the valve can be removed to permit replacement of the valve seal or to permit installation of a new valve. To ease removal of the valve, the valve seat is typically threadedly seated within a brass (or bronze) liner. The brass liner provides brass threads that resist corrosion and facilitate removal of the valve even after extended periods of time. Often, the valve seat is also brass so that the threaded interface between the valve seat and the brass liner includes intermeshing brass threads.
In many conventional constructions, the brass liner is sandwiched in one way or another between a flange at the lower end of the standpipe and the hydrant shoe. The typically sandwiched construction provides a number of part interfaces that provide numerous potential leakage paths. Further, the sandwiched construction may not provide the strength desired in some applications. Additionally, the separate brass liner increases parts inventory and complicates the assembly process.